In 30 seconds of research on the web I found the following regarding the Burg case.1. He was not prosecuted because the acts committed were past the statute of limitations. Making prosecution unlawful. Not a choice by the Prosecuting attorney.2. He was indicted in Federal Court on two counts of obstructing justice. So he was criminally charged-I don't know what the outcome was. It's too bad if he did was is said of him he should be sitting in a jail cell somewhere for all the crimes.

Quote:By the way in the California State trial the officers were found NOT guilty in the King Case. Why? Unlike most who had an opinion, a jury who heard the WHOLE case, not just sound bites on CNN, found no wrong doing.

Are you joking? Do you remember the OUTCOME of that little decision? That jury was a bit biased, yes?

Astonished that you use that example, dude! So the Federal trial didn't get anything but the soundbites, eh? Funny that they came to different conclusions! Or maybe not.

_________________________"In case you ever wondered what it's like to be knocked out, it's like waking up from a nightmare only to discover it wasn't a dream." -Forrest Griffin

Burge was indicted by the Feds, but not for torture. He was indicted for perjury--i.e. for lying when he said he and his men did not torture people.

The statute of limitations had indeed inspired, but that proves my point. To see why, you have to understand a little bit about Illinois politics. When allegations against Burge first surfaced (in 1982!), Richard M. Daley--now mayor of Chicago--was Cook County States Attorney. His office did nothing. His successor [censored] Devine, had to recuse himself from the case because he had once DEFENDED Burge against charges of torture in a civil trial. Devine's successor, Lisa Madigan, also failed to take any action. To this day, men who were tortured by Burge continue to languish in prison; Madigan has yet to review any of their cases.

In short, Burge and his cronies got away with torture because the entire system--from the CPD's Office of Professional Standards to the Cook County States Attorney's Office--let him get away with it. Had any ordinary citizen been systematically torturing people in this way, this NEVER would have happened--they'd have been locked UNDER the @#$% jail for the rest of their lives.

Jeez man. Your argument is so bereft that you abandon it immmediately, huh? YOU brought up the state trial point, which I was addressing. Are you trying to say that you agree with the state trial's decision?

Quote:Speaking of prejudicial juries-nothing like knowing the outcome of the last not guilty finding to influence you.

Not sure what you mean. The Federal trial did not give the same verdict as the state did. The blatant injustice precipitating the riots, may have had more effect.

_________________________"In case you ever wondered what it's like to be knocked out, it's like waking up from a nightmare only to discover it wasn't a dream." -Forrest Griffin

I have a question about the Rodney King case: did anyone else have a problem with the venue being changed to Simi Valley? I can understand why LA might have not been the best choice to insure a fair trial, but Simi Valley seemed just as bad, albeit for different reasons. As I understood it, Simi Valley was not only overwhelmingly white but also home to a huge population of LAPD officers and employees. Am I remembering this right?

After watching it and speaking with several other LE instructors, absent other known issues, it would seem as if "mentally" the officer was drawing and deploying his Taser. I admit that I do not know where on his belt his Taser was or if he in fact had one at all, but the draw motion he made and hand positioning was very consistent with Taser training.

In Taser certification and recertification classes a great deal of discussion is spent on the placement of the device on the belt as to not create confusion in stressful incidents.

There had been three reported incidents of such confusion previously where suspects were shot with a gun when the intent was to use the Taser.

This was clearly an awful incident and the officer clearly owns the responsibility. His intent however, which will determine the level of homicide charge, will have to be determined in court.

Saying he was just an evil cop and wanted to murder this guy may feel good for some to say, but probably is not an accurate statement.